As KC continues to elevate as a sports hub, when do we court a WNBA team?

The time has come for a KC WNBA team. Or… at least soon? // Adobe photo

Last week, Mayor Quinton Lucas was re-elected to serve the greater Kansas City area and celebrated with a post on Instagram with the caption “Kansas City, let’s have another great four years! #ThankYou.”

One of the first comments on the post read “Excited to see what other amazing things you will bring to KC! How about… A WNBA team, perhaps???!”

We think they’re on to something. We’ve been on that same page for a while. 

After recently attending a LA Sparks game, it was easy to ride the momentum of a sport actively, in the moment, on the rise. Kansas City would be the perfect place to expand; especially as we have many sports co-owners here committed to raising all ships with the rising tide.

Look at the Kansas City Current. With members of ownership including Brittany Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes, the Current continues to shine in women’s sports—with the first stadium dedicated entirely to a professional women’s sporting team finishing its construction right now.

As Kansas City is a growing and developing place, so is the WNBA.

It’s a common misconception the league isn’t “growing” especially as one may look at the stagnant wages of its most important employees – the players. However, the NBA rev share, which is the amount of money distributed amongst the league and its players, is at roughly 50% while the women’s share has decreased to a little less than 10% despite increasing overall revenue in the last few years. 

The 2022 WNBA season brought in record-breaking numbers, including the highest-viewed season since 2006. The league secured $75 million in sponsorships in 2022, making that the highest amongst any women’s sport. According to Bloomberg, the WNBA is also roughly projecting to bring in $180-$200 million from a combination of team and league revenue—up from the $102 million brought in for the 2019 season.

TV viewership is up for the WNBA and overall women’s basketball especially with the 2023 Women’s Final Four viewership averaging 4.5 million. The WNBA just also inked a new tv deal with Scripps’ Ion Television network that would expire around their ESPN/ABC current deal. Rumor has it the WNBA would have two Friday night slots on national television, according to Sports Pro Media. Will ESPN offer a compelling TV deal to keep the momentum? We shall see.

Kansas City would be the perfect place to add fuel to the fire that is igniting in women’s basketball. From our hunger for more sports in general to the momentum that the city exerts for new outlets—and chances for new champions—it seems like an easy sell. With a longstanding hope that the NBA might let us join their ranks still hovering, why not let women lead the way?